I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that my weakest skill is soldering. I can weld the backside off steel, but fine soldering appears to be an issue.
What are people's experience of the pre-wired fishplates, good or bad, and is there a preferred brand?
I feel this could be a more satisfying experience than dealing with a multitude of melted sleepers.
Ta.
Peco ones for me Mike, I figured that pecos machine (or whoever's makes them for peco to sell) would do a much better job then me at soldering.
Chip a bit of cork out under the joint, drill a 2mm hole and both are fed through for bus wiring.
I think @Newportnobby (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264) is a great believer in these as well
Yes; I find the Peco ones are excellent. I used them on my present layout and the electrical reliability is good.
Best wishes.
John
Also third satisfied customer . Soldering is a skill and admittedly not my forte. I also prefer these to gaugemasters due the quality and a decent length of wire as have found some manufacturers wire is too short to use
A fourth vote for Peco.
They make life so much easier and are completely reliable.
Quote from: exmouthcraig on June 14, 2020, 03:35:12 PM
I think @Newportnobby (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264) is a great believer in these as well
I've been using them for 5 years or so with no issues. I started off with those from Modellers Mecca and switched to Peco as they were better value.
That reminds me - must order some more
Here is the part number mike https://peco-uk.com/products/power-feed-joiners-pack-of-8-5 only could do with another 1 m wire as little short for my liking but quality product as others have stated
Quote from: emjaybee on June 14, 2020, 03:30:00 PMis there a preferred brand?
Surely the only correct answer is the same brand as the track you are using...
Well, it's not often I ask a question and get a consensus of answers. Pretty much unequivocal.
I think this is going far more enjoyable than raising my stress levels by trying to solder to the track.
Thanks for the input.
Quote from: PLD on June 14, 2020, 04:28:31 PM
Quote from: emjaybee on June 14, 2020, 03:30:00 PMis there a preferred brand?
Surely the only correct answer is the same brand as the track you are using...
Yes, fairly obvious now I think about it.
Pre-wired fishplates are almost GBP1 each vs 10p for the ordinary version. And the same consideration will apply to all the connections to be made under the baseboard. So practising your soldering skills would be a better option, especially if you have a big layout.
All well and good if you're physically capable, which not everyone is.
How about a compromise solution - soldering droppers to normal fishplates, on the bench, where access is easy and there are no plastic sleepers to melt?
Quote from: Newportnobby on June 15, 2020, 09:41:04 AM
All well and good if you're physically capable, which not everyone is.
Rails of Sheffield have them at a good price...
...If they have any left now I've visited!
:whistle:
I think @stevewalker (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=5329) has a perfectly reasonable solution there.
Quote from: emjaybee on June 15, 2020, 10:48:10 AM
Quote from: Newportnobby on June 15, 2020, 09:41:04 AM
All well and good if you're physically capable, which not everyone is.
Rails of Sheffield have them at a good price...
...If they have any left now I've visited!
:whistle:
I ordered 2 packs by e mail yesterday so I hope you haven't swiped the lot!!
Edit - just phoned them and I'm OK :sweat: :sweat:
Quote from: stevewalker on June 15, 2020, 10:42:43 AM
How about a compromise solution - soldering droppers to normal fishplates, on the bench, where access is easy and there are no plastic sleepers to melt?
This is what I did when building my layout.
Soldering wires onto the bottom of fishplates makes for a neat job but the electrical connection is only as good as the fishplates mechanical connection and can deteriorate over time. In 15 years I have had two failures where I have had to "jiggle" the offending fishplate to restore connectivity. Ideally separate feeds need to be soldered directly to each section of track.
Yeah, soldering directly to the bottom of the rail is the best solution, I'm not a fan of pre-wired fishplates as you're still relying on a mechanical connection as @swisstrains (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=193) says. However I do appreciate that for those not having the dexterity to do the soldering themselves then the pre-wired fishplates are the probably the next best solution.
Fortunately over the past 24 years of exhibiting the layout I've only had a couple of cases of conductivity problems due to fishplates, and they were either side of a bridge that I'd set into the trackwork after the rest had been laid, and after some scenic work had been carried out. I gave the fishplates a good squeeze and ran a little solder in (I don't usually solder fishplates at all) and they've been fine ever since.